26 U.S. Code § 5171 - Establishment

Except as otherwise provided by law, operations as a distiller, warehouseman, or processor may be conducted only on the bonded premises of a distilled spirits plant by a person who is qualified under this subchapter.

(b) Establishment of distilled spirits plant

A distilled spirits plant may be established only by a person who intends to conduct at such plant operations as a distiller, as a warehouseman, or as both.

(c) Registration

(1) In general

Each person shall, before commencing operations at a distilled spirits plant (and at such other times as the Secretary may by regulations prescribe), make application to the Secretary for, and receive notice of, the registration of such plant.

(2) Application required where new operations are added

No operation in addition to those set forth in the application made pursuant to paragraph (1) may be conducted at a distilled spirits plant until the person has made application to the Secretary for, and received notice of, the registration of such additional operation.

The Secretary may by regulations prescribe for each type of operation minimum capacity and level of activity requirements for qualifying premises as a distilled spirits plant.

(4) Applicant must comply with law and regulations

No plant (or additional operation) shall be registered under this section until the applicant has complied with the requirements of law and regulations in relation to the qualification of such plant (or additional operation).

(d) Permits

(1) Requirements

Each person required to file an application for registration under subsection (c) whose distilled spirits operations (or any part thereof) are not required to be covered by a basic permit under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act (27 U.S.C. secs. 203 and 204) shall, before commencing the operations (or part thereof) not so covered, apply for and obtain a permit under this subsection from the Secretary to engage in such operations (or part thereof). Subsections (b), (c), (d), (e), (f), (g), and (h) ofsection
5271 are hereby made applicable to persons filing applications and permits required by or issued under this subsection.

(2) Exceptions for agencies of a State or political subdivisions

Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any agency of a State or political subdivision thereof or to any officer or employee of any such agency, and no such agency, officer, or employee shall be required to obtain a permit thereunder.

(e) Cross references

(1)For penalty for failure of a distiller or processor to file application for registration as required by this section, see section
5601(a)(2).

(2)For penalty for the filing of a false application by a distiller, warehouseman, or processor of distilled spirits, see section
5601(a)(3).

The Federal Alcohol Administration Act, referred to in subsec. (d)(1), is act Aug. 29, 1935, ch. 814, 49 Stat. 977, as amended, which is classified generally to subchapter I (§ 201 et seq.) of chapter
8 of Title
27, Intoxicating Liquors. The basic permit is covered by sections
203 and
204 of Title
27. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section
201 of Title
27 and Tables.

Prior Provisions

A prior section
5171, act Aug. 16, 1954, ch. 736, 68A Stat. 627, related to “premises prohibited for distilling”, prior to the general revision of this chapter by Pub. L. 85–859. See sections
5178(a)(1)(B), (b), (c)(2), and
5505(b) of this title.

Provisions similar to those comprising subsecs. (a), (b)(1) and (c) of this section were contained in prior sections of act Aug. 16, 1954, prior to the general revision of this chapter by Pub. L. 85–859, as follows:

Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 96–39redesignated former subsec. (a) as (c) and inserted provisions relating to an application requirement where new operations are added and permitting the Secretary to establish minimum capacity and level of activity requirements. Former subsec. (c) redesignated (e).

Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 96–39redesignated former subsec. (b) as (d) and substituted reference to subsection (c) for reference to subsection (a) and struck out reference to section
5274.

Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 96–39redesignated former subsec. (c) as (e) and substituted reference to processor for reference to rectifier and reference to warehouseman for reference to bonded warehouseman and struck out reference to bottler.

Subsec. (b)(3). Pub. L. 94–455, § 1905(a)(13)(B), struck out par. (3) under which persons who were qualified on June 30, 1959, to perform operations for which a permit was required covering operations not required to be covered by a basic permit under the Federal Alcohol Administration Act had been allowed to continue operations pending a reasonable opportunity to make application for a permit.

Amendment by section 1905(a)(13) ofPub. L. 94–455effective on first day of first month which begins more than 90 days after Oct. 4, 1976, see section 1905(d) ofPub. L. 94–455, set out as a note under section
5005 of this title.

Effective Date

Section effective July 1, 1959, see section 210(a)(1) ofPub. L. 85–859, set out as a note under section
5001 of this title.

“(1) In general.—For purposes of section 5171 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 [formerly I.R.C. 1954] (relating to establishment of distilled spirits plants), each person who intends to continue any distilled spirits operation at a premises after December 31, 1979, shall be treated as intending to establish a distilled spirits plant on such premises on January 1, 1980.

“(2) Current registration to remain in effect.—Notwithstanding paragraph (1), the registration of any person under section 5171 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 which is in effect on December 31, 1979, shall remain in effect until final action on the application required by paragraph (1).

“(b) Continuing Operations at Existing Premises.—With respect to any operation which was permitted to be conducted on May 1, 1979, at premises which were registered on such date under section 5171 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, the determination of whether such premises qualify for registration under such section as a distilled spirits plant shall be made without regard to whether or not—

“(1) the person engaged in operations at such premises is registered under such section with respect to such premises as a distiller or warehouseman, and

“(2) such premises meet the minimum capacity and level of activity requirements for that type of operation.”

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